KAMPYONGO’S ATTEMPT TO TURN NRPUP INTO ANOTHER PF FACTION THWARTED The Editor Zambia The attempt by Stephen Kampyongo to position himself as Leader of the Opposition in Parliament is another scheme to form another Patriotic Front (PF) faction. The move has raised a fundamental question about whether the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity […]

KAMPYONGO’S ATTEMPT TO TURN NRPUP INTO ANOTHER PF FACTION THWARTED

The Editor Zambia

The attempt by Stephen Kampyongo to position himself as Leader of the Opposition in Parliament is another scheme to form another Patriotic Front (PF)  faction.

The move has raised a fundamental question about whether the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP) is genuinely committed to the democratic principles it claims to represent.

NRPUP has made its position clear: Ezra Tembo remains the party’s recognised Leader of the Opposition following a decision reportedly taken by 34 NRPUP Members of Parliament at a meeting at Palmwood Lodge on September 3, 2026.

According to the party, the decision was proposed by Luanshya MP Golden Mulenga and seconded by Nyimba North MP Paul Lungu and Chembe MP Chomba Kasongo.

The opposition political party has also said that a nomination letter recognising Tembo has already been submitted to the National Assembly.

Against this background, Kampyongo’s reported attempt to install himself in the position raises serious questions about political discipline and respect for internal democracy.

There is something deeply troubling when a politician appears to believe that because he commands a parliamentary platform, he can simply declare himself the leader of an entire opposition movement.

If members have already made a decision, the proper democratic response is to persuade them to change their decision through legitimate procedures, not to manufacture another gathering, and announce a different outcome.

The irony is that Kampyongo comes from the embattled PF, a party whose internal battles became synonymous with factionalism, personality politics, and struggles over who had the right to speak for the former ruling party.

Bringing that style of politics into NRPUP would be a serious disservice to the very principles of reconciliation and unity that the party’s name represents.

The question that Kampyongo must answer is simple: Where are these phantom supporters who supposedly elected him?

If there is overwhelming parliamentary support for Kampyongo, then let the numbers be placed in the public domain. Let the MPs who allegedly elected him stand up and be counted. Let them identify themselves rather than hiding behind anonymous claims and competing statements.

The available public record currently shows a different picture. The National Assembly lists Kampyongo among NRPUP MPs but identifies him as a back-bench member. NRPUP, meanwhile, has publicly maintained that Ezra Tembo is the leader of opposition in Parliament.

There is, admittedly, an important constitutional issue here. Article 74(2) provides that the opposition party with the largest number of seats in the National Assembly shall elect the Leader of the Opposition from among opposition MPs.

Parliament’s Standing Orders similarly provide for the election and written communication of that decision to the Speaker.

But that provision does not provide a licence for an individual MP to impose himself on his colleagues. The central question is, therefore, not whether Kampyongo is an MP. He clearly is.
The question is what decision was properly made by the relevant parliamentary party and whether the required procedure was followed.

That is precisely why the competing claims must be settled through the appropriate parliamentary and party mechanisms rather than through social-media declarations and political grandstanding.

Kampyongo should, therefore, resist the temptation to drag NRPUP into the kind of factional politics that damaged the PF. NRPUP is a relatively new political home for many parliamentarians and should not become another battlefield for personal ambition.

Political parties cannot preach democracy to the electorate while practising political self-appointment internally. If Ezra Tembo was democratically selected, that decision should be respected unless and until it is lawfully overturned.

If Kampyongo believes he has the numbers to replace him, he should demonstrate those numbers transparently through the established parliamentary process.

What Zambia does not need is another opposition party consumed by leadership fights while the country expects Parliament to address matters affecting ordinary citizens.

The opposition has a constitutional role to scrutinise government, propose alternatives, and participate constructively in national governance.

Parliament’s own rules assign the Leader of the Opposition responsibilities that include liaising with the Speaker and Government leadership on parliamentary business and proposing alternatives to government policy.
That responsibility is too important to be reduced to an internal power struggle

Kampyongo should not mistake ambition for a mandate. NRPUP members chose their leadership, and that choice deserves respect. If Kampyongo wants to change it, he should do so democratically—not by importing the politics of the PF into a party that was supposed to offer Zambia something different.